Belt loading machine



Aug. 31, 1948. E. ARDELL 2,448,072

BELT LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet l E d5 51" HPEYE 1 awmafil g Aug-I 1943- E. ARDELL 2,448,072

BELT LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q Q Q I 1' iw, I I I l I m I Edgar Hrcfel].

31, 1948. E. ARDELL BELT LOADING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 22,1946 E CF55? fir'd'ell 934 E. ARDELL 2,448,072

BELT LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 E cggar'Fir-deli E. ARDELL 2,448,072

BELT LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1946 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Edgar Ar dellWW -Mg E. ARDELL 2,448,072

BELT LOADING MACHINE Filed Aug. 22, 1946 8 Shee'ts-Sheet 6 QQJQJJQQgmwwr Edgar Aria L].

J ,W MM )#.ar%L Z@4W W E. ARDELL BELT LOADING MACHINE 8 Sheets-Sheet 8Filed Aug. 22, 1946 JYWQ/YVTM Elig a1" .Hrdell j a. M%%MWM Patented Aug.31, 1948 PATENT oriu-ceyf' Edgar Ardell, Middletowmtconm; .assignor to iStandard-Knapp Corporation, Portland, .Conn a corporation. of New YorkApplication August 22, 194635917121 N0.='i692;252

2'Claims. 1 This invention relates to loading cartridges intoammunition'belts and more particularly to a machine for loading varioustypes ofcartridges into fabric-belts in selective sequence.

When loading cartridges into ammunition belts, =itisfrequentlyldesirable to accumulate different types of cartridges-inrepetitious sequence in :such belts. This is-a tedious andtime-consuming procedure-when the arranginghasto be done by'fiand.

*Moreover when inserting cartridges in fabric belts by .mechanicalmeans, it .has frequently been found-difli-cultto -get the cartridgestarted intolt hespocketformedlby the two plies of .fabric constitutingthe belt. These plies normally lie ciose together and do not tend tovseparate readily-especially-since the. nose of the bullet is bluntiii-shape. Also during the operation of seating cartridges in thepockets of fabric ammunition belts. it has been found that positiveholding means for-thebelt are necessary to prevent lateral movementthereof tending to cause binding ofthe pockets.

'It istherefore an object of thisinve-ntionto provide means whereby.difi'erent types oftcartridges maybe automatically accumulated in anydesired repetitious sequence and loaded .into iahric anun-un-itionbelts.

Another object of this invention is to provide improved means forpositively opening each pocket in a fabric ammunition beltin order toinsure the entrance of .thecartridgev aligned .for insertion therein.

A ,further object of this invention is to provide improved .means forholding oa .iabric am.- muniticnbeltfirmly. in. place during theinsertion andsea'ting of cartridges therein.

The specificnature of theinvention .as well as otherobjects andadvantages thereof will clearly appearifrom a description of a,preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which;

Figure 1 is a schematic front elevation of the belt loading machine;

.Figurel2is a similar view in end elevation;

Figure '3. is a-sectional detail ,viewitakenialong line 3-3 on Figure ,1illustrating the position taken by the cartridge when between therollers;

Figure 4 is a'fragmentary perspective View i1- lustr'atin-g the drums;

Figured is a sectionaldetail taken throughone of the drums and" conveyorchain;

l 'ieureb is a fragmentary section detail ot-the conveyor chain takenalong --lines 6fi ofiF-lgore-;:

7 in 72' a t t Figure -'l is--a.;perspective view of (the beltaloading\machine without thecover, illustratin particularly the manner; in whichthe cartridges enter theiloadingposition;

. Figure 7 8 is a perspective detail of the shuttle mechanism,::and.thegate, the gate being-lifted up in'this view;

Figure 9 is a fragmentarywdetail partly-insectionillustratingtheibeltloading mechanismpthe gate being-clamped down inthisview-p Figure 101s aifragmentaryzplan-view illustrating the shuttleimechanism, ,more sparticularly the camcperated levers;

Figure llriS-fl similar' view, illustrating a cartridgeibeingtlineillpin the guidebythe positione ing lever;

Figure .12-.is a similar view illustratingmtlm guide .arm pushin thecartridge one-half way into the belt; and t Figure 13 illustratesthefinal-stepfithe cartridge having l advanced one step :and :being thmst:all the way by the positioning'lever into thebelt.

.In the .maohine illustrated einxthe drawings, the working :parts =anesupported on a suitable base having legs attached which can be securedwhere .ever convenient .for x the Op ration not :the machine. Theloading mechanism is simiiarto that .described'in U. 6. Patent No.660,244 and will be explained only in suchidetail as isdeemed necessary.to explain the ,-imprevements of this invention. v a i .A seriesofhoppers .1 rint-thev-iormtof fiatbottomed trays are -.provided for areceiving the variouscartridges 2 to; be loaded into a fabricamnumition-beltii. {Ihese hoppers I slope downwardlyuandi terminate inan open corner =3 thereb Permitting .cartridgestil to be. gravity fedonto a pair of oppositely driven rolls -4. it {These :rolls 4 areparallel with :the 1longitudina1 axes thereof inclinedat-zan angle withhoppers A. {Asa-a cartridge .2 .falls r onto rolls 4, the distancebetween each roll of apain-allows thelbullet-endrai'lwwhich isheavierthan thecase 5 toad-p therebetween. This distance however.isisuchthatthecartridge rim cannot slip through trolls .Thus cartridges 2 areeventually ,supportedin anessentially up.- right position withithabulletend 5 down, and the sides of case'fi contacting rolls las shown in Fig.sincejrolls'fl rotate in oppositeidirections away im-om one"an-other'thereby tending to'lift the cartridges verticailytherebetween,such cartridges 2 are thus loosely supported andtravei downwardly--toward the low-end of rolls 4 "by gravity. "whereupon cartridges 2are'delivered" in close "crder into a guide 1 whichcurves downspacedaround the outer periphery of each drum in and are so arranged as topass underneath guide I as each drum l rotates, each open slot receivinga cartridge 2 from guide I. Flanges l2 at each end of drums IIJ andguardsl3 prevent cartridges 2 from falling out of slots 1 l as drums l0rotate.

As shown in Fig. 4, there arethree drums in i the assembly, but thisnumber may vary in accordance with the number of hoppers I, which inturn depend on the different loads of ammunition" desired foraccumulation incartridge belt 35. When cartridges 2 are rotated to thelowest point of each drum l0, they are discharged onto a conveyor beltl5. Such belt l5 runs along a track l3 and is so geared with drums [0that each succeeding space I! in conveyor belt I5 aligns with acorresponding slot H in drum' ID to receive a cartridge 2 therefrom. V

Filler pieces l8 are provided for insertion into those slots II in drumsID as are not intended to receive cartridges in accordance with theparticular sequence required for ammunition belt 35. In order toaccumulate the desired sequence for belt 35,slots' ll corresponding tothe locations into which cartridg'es'Z are to be fed from another drumII], are blocked with filler pieces it so that as conveyor belt l5passes under drums l0, only one drum at a time will provide acartridge'for each space in the conveyor belt I5. Thus a repetitioussequence of cartridges 2 can be established for filling belt 35 by theuse of such filler pieces was explained.

Conveyor belt l5 in passing underneath drum l0, accumulates the desiredrepetitious sequence of cartridges 2 as explained above, and thenproceeds along a track l6 up an incline l9 and .over a' pulley 20.Curved guards 22 keep cartridges 2 in place as conveyor belt l5surmounts pulley 20. From pulley cartridges 2 drop into a vertical guide2| from which they drop one by one between a positioning arm and aplunger 40.

Positioning arm 30 is pivotally mounted for limited horizontal movementby a pin 32. A pivot bearing 33 engaged in a conventional cam track (notshown) gives a rotary horizontal movement to arm 30 to guide a cartridge2 against plunger 40.' A projection 3! on plunger 40 aligns thecartridge 2 for insertion into the pockets 34 of a fabric ammunitionbelt 35. Plunger 40 is provided with two stages 4| and 42. Stage 4|engages cartridge 2 and pushes it forward approximately one-half thedistance necessary for seating in belt 35. Plunger 40 then is retractedand belt 3bmoved forward one pocket space so that cartridge 2 is now infront of stage 42 of plunger ,40. On the next forward stroke of plunger40, stage 4'2 engages the half inserted cartridge 2 and pushes itforward to its final position in the belt 35. At the same time, stage 4|has engaged anothercartridge and is pushing it half-way in belt 35. n

- .In order to insure that the next pocket 34' in belt 35 is openedsufliciently for the insertion of a cartridge 2 therein, a shuttleassembly is pro- 4 vided comprising a slide 50, a pivot 5| on which ismounted a guide piece 52, and pins 56 and 51 for retaining a spring 58.Guide piece 52 is provided with a slot 53 through which the bullet nosepasses as the cartridge 2 enters the pocket 34 in belt 35. Nose piece 55is secured to guide piece 52 and is so arranged that the tip of nosepiece I55'is aligned with the middle of 10953; Spring '58 resilientlyretains guide piece 52 sothat nose piece 55 is normally engaged in apocket 34 in belt 35.

A lever 60 mounted on a pivot 6| engages slide 50 and by means of apivot bearing 63 in a conventional cam track (not shown), effectshorizontal movement of slide 50 together with belt 35. Nose'piece 55 isinserted in a pocket 34 holding it slightly open. Then as slide 50 movesrearwardly, nose piece 55 is withdrawn from pocket 34 as it rides overthe stitched edge thereof, and under the urge of spring 56 snaps intothe next pocket 34. 4 7

As slide 50 starts to move rearwardly, and nose piece 55 begins towithdraw from pocket 34, stage 4| of plunger '40 pushes a cartridgeforward into the pocket 34 being held open by nose piece 55.

A gripper plate 10 secured by boltsll passing through lugs 12 isarranged to bear against belt 35 as it is drawn over a bed plate 13 andprevents the belt from being pushed forward by cartridges insertedtherein.

Conventional star wheels 15 and 16 engage the filled section of belt 35and rotate to advance the belt forward one cartridge space'at a time incoordination with the other parts'of the beltloading machine.-

When a cartridge has been fully seated in belt 35 and the next cartridgeis inserted half-way as explainedabove, arm 30 pivots away from plunger40 and another cartridge drops into po% sition for insertion. Thus anuninterrupted sequence of cartridges areautomaticaliy loaded into belt35.

While a pivoted nose piece 55 is provided in the preferred embodiment,such is unnecessaryin the case where small caliber cartridges are to beloaded into a fabric belt. It has been found that a nose piece 55integral with guide piece 52 will perform the pocket-opening operationequally well. I

1. In a machine for loading pockets in a fabric ammunition belt withcartridges, a shuttle assembly for opening the pockets of the belt, saidassembly comprising, a slide adapted to cooperate with the advancingmovement of the ammuni tion belt, a guide piece pivotally mounted tosaid slide, a nose piece depending fromsaid guide piece, said nose pieceadapted to be inserted within the pockets of the ammunition belt, andresilient, means connecting said slide with said guide piece. n v

2. In a machine for loading pockets in a fabric ammunition belt Withcartridges, a pair of fluted gripper wheels arranged to advance theammunition beltone cartridge space at a time in coordination with otherparts of the machine, a movable slide adapted to reciprocate in adirection parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ammunition belt, abifurcatedguide piece pivotally mounted to said slide and engaging theedge-of the ammunition belt, anose piece secured tosaid guide piece andarranged to be inserted'in'the belt pockets,.and resilient meansconnecting said slide with said guide piece and so arranged'as to keepsaid nose piece inserted within said pocket,

all adapted and arranged whereby said nose piece REFERENCES CITEDprovides an opening in the fabric ammunition The following referencesare of record in the belt for the bullet end of cartridges and wherebyfile of this patent:

as said slide is retracted, said nose piece trans- 5 fers to theadjacent pocket and is inserted there- UNITED STATES PATENTS in underthe urging of said resilient means to Name ate thereby successively openeach pocket in the ad- 660,244 BTOWning Oct. 23, 1900 vancing ammunitionbelt. 1,130,950 Sonnberg pr. 25, 1916 10 2,339,299 Smith et a1. Jan. 18,1944 EDGAR ARDELL. 2,366,256 Harris et a1 Jan. 2, 1945

